Italian Inspired Buttered Eggs

The secret to light, fluffy scrambled eggs is adding a dollop of cream instead of milk to the whisked eggs, using a mixture of olive oil and butter to grease the pan and ensure it is nice and hot before adding the egg mixture.

Ingredients: 5 eggs, 100 ml cream, 50 g shredded cheese of your choice (optional), 2 tbsp Butter, 1 tbsp Olive Oil, 1 tsp Dried Italian Herbs, Salt and Pepper to taste, Handful of fresh basil leaves

Method: In a bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, cheese if using, Italian herbs and seasoning.

If you are using cheese, feel free to experiment with your favourite kind as this can just lift the eggs a little and make them extra special. I love to crumble in some leftover feta to give it extra saltiness and at times will use a pinch of gorgonzola if I have a bit sitting in the fridge from a dinner party – this gives it a pungent undertone.

Get a skillet on high heat and put in the butter with a drizzle of olive oil to make sure the butter doesn’t burn.

Make sure you are armed with a wooden spatula. Turn down the high flame to medium and add in the mixture slowly, making sure it coats the pan evenly like the beginning of making an omelette. Allow the mixture to stick for about 30-40 seconds and then slowly push the wooden spatula back and forward, loosening the mixture that has begun to cook and coagulate to the bottom of the pan. Swirl the mixture around with the spatula, folding the eggs gently. Between each fold, allow the eggs to cook for about 30 seconds and then cut and fold again. Do this repeatedly until the egg mixture has almost completely dried out, except for a few wet-ish globules – these are nuggets of delicious oozing creamy, cheese bites.

Take the eggs off the fire and serve them immediately onto buttered toasted bread or English Muffins. Garnish the eggs with chiffonade of basil or whole leaves if you can’t be bothered. And if you are big on meat like I am, you will probably want some snags and or bacon with that.